The Space Between
by ginnyweasley777
Summary: Several scenes from the film from Rose's point of view. Rose's thoughts and feelings.


**A/N - I know, I know, I'm about 20 years too late to Titanic, but I only saw the film all the way through for the first time last year, and I'm not ashamed to say I loved it. This is my interpretation of Rose's thoughts and feelings during this scene. I think there's going to be 2 more chapters to this as there's another couple of scenes I want to do. Please read and review. Thanks ~ Hannah**

The Space Between

Chapter One: Flight

I was running. I was running as fast as my absurd dress would allow me across the deck of _Titanic_. I was running from mother, from Cal, from my engagement, from the confines of my class, and even from myself. I wasn't thinking clearly, all I knew was I wanted to escape, to run as far as I possibly could, but even the biggest ship in the world wasn't far enough for me.

I collided with something near the stern which stopped my flight momentarily as I stifled a sob and looked across at the railing a short distance in front of me and then the dark expanse of the Atlantic which stretched far beyond. I walked hesitantly across to the rail at the very back of the ship and cast a nervous look over my shoulder, but at this time of night the deck was deserted.

I reached out and grasped the rail and slowly stepped up on it. Without thinking I climbed all the way over the rail and turned around, balancing precariously on the very tip of the ship and leaned forward, a tenuous grip on the rail behind me. Slowly, with nerves jangling, I looked down into the abyss below. The ocean frothed and foamed far below and stretched out in the wake of the great ship as she steamed forward, oblivious to my plight, just as everyone was.

No one cared, no one at all. I could let go right now and it would scarcely matter to anyone. Oh, mother would be upset about losing Cal's money and being forced to become a seamstress, but that was the extent of it. I trembled as I contemplated letting go and tears ran freely down my face.

"Don't do it," said a voice behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see the man who had stared at me from the third class area when I had walked out of lunch.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" I shouted.

"Come on," he said, ignoring my words and walking towards me. "Give me your hand and I'll pull you back over.

"No! Stay where you are! I mean it, I'll let go." I turned to lean back out from the rail then looked over my shoulder at him again. He took a long drag of his cigarette then gestured that he was going to throw it over the rail, using it as an excuse to move closer to me.

"No you won't," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking sideways at me.

"What do you mean, 'no I won't', don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do - you don't know me!" I exclaimed furiously.

He shrugged. "Well you would have done it already."

"You're distracting me, go away." I turned back to face the sea.

"I can't, I'm involved now. You let go and I'm, I'm going to have to jump in there after you," he said, shrugging off his coat and bending to unlace his boots.

I looked at him with genuine surprise. Why would he say such a thing? "Don't be absurd, you'll be killed."

"I'm a good swimmer."

"The fall alone would kill you."

"It would hurt, not saying it wouldn't. To tell you the truth, I'm a lot more concerned about that water being so cold."

I looked from him to the water and back to him hesitantly. "How cold?"

"Freezing, maybe a couple of degrees over." I looked at him with nervousness now, his words having penetrated the fog that was clouding my brain. He finished taking off his boots and stood up, shoving his hands back in his pockets. "You ever ah, you ever been to Wisconsin?"

"What?"

"Well they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. I remember when I was a kid me and my father went ice fishing out on Lake Wissota - ice fishing is, you know, when you-"

"I know what ice fishing is!" I snapped.

He held up his hands. "Sorry, you just seem like, you know, kind of an indoor girl. Anyway, I er, I fell through some thin ice, and I'm telling you, water that cold, like right down there," he said, leaning on the rail next to me and looking down at the water, "it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe, you can't think, at least not about anything but the pain - which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in there after you." He started to take off his waistcoat. "But like I said, I don't have a choice. I guess I'm kind of hoping you'll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here."

I looked at him with astonishment, but despite everything he'd got my attention with his words and his seemingly genuine concern for me. "You're crazy!"

"That's what everybody says, but with all due respect, miss, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship here. Now come on, come on, give me your hand," he said reaching out and offering me his. "You don't want to do this."

Slowly, I reached across and grasped his hand and turned myself around on the ledge so that I was now facing him rather than the water. My eyes met his.

"Phew," he said with relief. "I'm Jack Dawson."

"Rose Dewitt Bukator," I replied.

"I might have to get you to write that one down," he said, which, despite everything, caused me to give a small laugh. "Come on," he said.

I began to climb back over the railing but my foot caught on my dress and I slipped with a scream as I hung off the back of the ship, held only by my hand in Jack's as I swung perilously above the dark water below. It was ironic, I had climbed over the rail with the idea of ending my life and now that there was a very real chance of it happening I suddenly wanted with all my might to live.

"I've got you, come on! Come on!"

I struggled and managed to catch the rail with one flailing arm but then lost hold again immediately. "Help me, please! Please help me!"

"I've got you! Listen to me." I looked up into his eyes. "I've got you, I won't let go. Now pull yourself up, come on!"

I gave a slight nod and tried again to grab the rail as he pulled me up.

"Come on, that's right. You can do it," he said as he hauled me up and I managed to get my foot back on the small ledge I'd originally been standing on. He grabbed me and finally pulled me all the way over. "I've got you."

Unfortunately as he pulled me over he lost his balance and we both went tumbling to the ground with Jack on top of me.

Some seamen came running over, having obviously been alerted by my screams. "What's all this?" He took in the scene of me lying on the floor gasping and Jack next to me with his coat and boots off. "You stand back and don't move an inch!" he exclaimed, pointing at Jack then looked over his shoulder. "Fetch the Master of Arms."

I was powerless to do anything as I struggled to gather myself from my near death experience and presently Cal arrived with his awful manservant and Colonel Gracie, still sipping their brandies. Colonel Gracie offered me his as I sat wrapped in a blanket but I waved him away.

"This is completely unacceptable," exclaimed Cal as Jack was handcuffed by the Master of Arms. "What made you think that you could put your hands on _my_ fiancée? Look at me, you filth," he said, shaking Jack.

I glanced over at them and knew I had to do something to save Jack, who was guilty only of kindness, from Cal's wrath. "Cal," I called out.

He ignored me and shoved Jack again. "What do you think you were doing?"

"Cal, stop!" I said, running over to them and pushing him away from him. "It was an accident."

He looked at me incredulously. "An accident?"

"It was. It was stupid really - I was leaning over and I slipped." I could see Jack looking at me curiously as I searched for something plausible to say. "I was leaning far over to see the ah, the ah, ah, ah, the erm, ah…"

"The propellers," provided Cal.

"The propellers, and I slipped, and I would have gone overboard, but Mr Dawson here saved me, and almost went over himself."

"She wanted to see, she wanted to see the propellers," announced Cal with a forced laugh.

"Like I said, women and machinery do not mix," said Colonel Gracie.

"Was that the way of it?" the Master of Arms asked Jack.

Jack looked at me and I gave him a pleading look, begging him silently to go along with my tale. There was no way that I wanted Cal or anyone else to know just how close I had come to ending my life as they'd think I was mad and make life even more unbearable than it already was. _Please go along with what I've said_ , I thought over and over again. _Please._

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "yeah, that was pretty much it."

"Well, the boy's a hero then," said Colonel Gracie. "Good for you, son. Well done. So, it's alls well and back to our brandies then."

Jack gave me an amused look as I breathed a sigh of relief and the Master of Arms unlocked the handcuffs.

Cal rubbed my arms and I cringed inwardly. "You must be freezing," he said turning to lead me away. "Let's get you inside." In truth I didn't want to leave, to go back enduring Cal and my stuffy first class life.

"Er, perhaps a little something for the boy," said Colonel Gracie as we walked past him.

We stopped and I looked at Cal to see what he would do with this suggestion.

"What? Er, Mr Lovejoy, I think a twenty should do it," Cal said, then made to walk away again with me.

I laughed. "Is that the going rate for saving the woman you love?"

"Rose is displeased," said Cal with a smirk on his face. "What to do…I know." He walked back to Jack who had just put his coat back on. "Perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow evening? Regale our group with your heroic tale?"

"Sure, count me in," replied Jack after the barest hesitation.

"Good, that's settled then." He walked back to me with Colonel Gracie. "This should be interesting," he said in an undertone.

My eyes met Jack's again for an instant before Cal led me away again and I couldn't help the slight thrill that went through me at the prospect of seeing him again. Something in me felt drawn towards him, this sudden need to know more of this person who had treated me as an equal despite the gulf between our two worlds, who had shown genuine concern for me even though I was a complete stranger to him. He was someone who cared.


End file.
